Malonson comes from a family where her father is black and her mother is white. Because of her biracial background Malonson had a lighter complexion and different hair texture than the rest of the contestants.

When she was announced as the winner, some on Twitter were outraged and said she wasn't black enough to have been given that title.

"Miss black but they still chose the most light-skinned. But thats [sic] just me," said one commentor.

Another user said, "You can be black genetically and never navigate this world as a black person. But that's just me."

However, though most people were attacking the validity of her "blackness," others came to her defense.

One user commented, "she doesn't deserve you putting your unsolicited opinion on her skin and her possible experiences as a black woman," in response to an attack on her appearance.

"See the problem is that you can't seem to understand that this has nothing to do with how she looks. She's black point blank period," said another user in response an accusation of her winning because of her light skin.

Malonson took the backlash in stride and shared a tweet saying, "a time that was supposed to make me feel worthless turned into a beautiful reminder that I have true brothers and sisters at UT," and thanked all those who have supported her.